


Long Live

by imrnlyn



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Confessions, Flashbacks, Love Confessions, M/M, Marriage, Minor Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Minor Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Seokmin | DK, Non-Linear Narrative, Spain Without the S, Unrequited Love, i wish i was sorry but im not, jeonghan being an emotional mess, the one that got away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:48:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28074975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imrnlyn/pseuds/imrnlyn
Summary: Jisoo and Jeonghan are getting married.
Relationships: Hong Jisoo | Joshua & Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 7
Kudos: 25





	Long Live

**Author's Note:**

> I told myself [‘i don’t want to be my friend’](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28012779) was going to be my last fic for 2020. But I couldn’t sleep well thinking I haven’t written this. Just another one of my 5 am thoughts. 
> 
> Not beta-read. I like running to battle bringing just myself and hoping for the best.  
> With that, forgive any grammar errors and typos.
> 
> i’m on twitter ☺ @imrnlyn

Jeonghan clutches the keycard to his room and closes the door behind him, making his way to Jisoo’s room 5 doors down, clad in his pajamas and the soft hotel room slippers.  
  
  
  
  
_ Jisoo is getting married.  
  
  
  
  
_ “Hey,” Jeonghan greets entering the room. “How’s Seokmin?”

“Crying,” Jisoo says nonchalantly, directing Jeonghan to the balcony of his room. “Mingyu and Seungkwan are hosting his stag party tonight and were joking that I was getting cold feet. I just got off the phone with him.”

He laughed as he sat down, noticing the bottle of already opened wine on the small table between them.

“Are you?” Jeonghan asks, swirling the glass in his hand. Jisoo looks at him. “Getting cold feet?”

“No,” Jisoo answers without any second thoughts and an evident smile in his eyes, the one that makes the bags under his eyes prominent. One that spells genuine happiness. “I’m actually excited.”

Jeonghan simply nods at that, not really knowing what to say next.

Jisoo sets his wine glass back on the table, leaning back on the chair and staring into the dark abyss looming over them. A few stars adorning the sky. “I get to spend the rest of my life with the love of my life.”

Jeonghan grimaces and pretends to puke at that, “disgusting.”

His best friend cackles with laughter, the crinkles by his eyes showing. “You’ll know when you get there.”

  
  
  
  
  


Jisoo was the gullible foreign student when Jeonghan met him back in high school. He had just moved from the States due to his mom’s job relocation. Since then, there was no Jeonghan without Jisoo and vice versa.

Entering college, everyone was expected to join a school organization. 

_ To form camaraderie among the newcomers _ , the student council president had said at the freshman orientation.

Jisoo had this bright idea of joining the organization responsible for the quarterly publication of the school paper. Something about wanting to learn Korean better.

“Jisoo, you can barely even read my notes when you borrow them,” Jeonghan commented when the said boy voiced his interest.

“Yeah, watch me get better in no time.” He replies with a smug smile and a wink.

That was where Jisoo met Seokmin, who he found out later was just there because his best friends, Mingyu and Minghao, were official photographers of the group.

And with Jisoo’s time preoccupied with his org and his arms constantly filled by a literal ray of sunshine through the embodiment of Lee Seokmin, Jeonghan suddenly had so much time in his hands.

  
  
  
  
  


The cold wind brushes past them, bringing Jeonghan back to the present. It’s much, much colder when you’re about a hundred feet above the ground. It makes the hairs on his arms stand on their end.

“You know, it’s funny how I actually liked you back then.” He tells Jisoo for no reason at all before taking a sip of his wine, his gaze trained on the dark reddish-purple liquid.

Unbeknownst to him, Jisoo’s eyes widen. It was the first time he was hearing this. “You did?”

“Yeah. Is that weird?” Jeonghan turns to him with a humorous smile that was barely there. “I mean, we’re best friends.”

It silences them both, Jisoo lost in thought while Jeonghan… Well, there’s a lot in his mind.

“Remember how I was the new student back then?” Jisoo asks a little later. “I didn’t even know how to speak Korean yet.”

Jeonghan smiles, more to himself than at the man speaking next to him. “Of course. How could I not? I taught you everything you had to know.”

This time it was Jisoo’s turn, thinking of the fond memory that formed their unparalleled bond. They were easily each other’s ride or die. “Yeah, you did. Like how to say fuck.”

Jeonghan doubles over with laughter, bubbling through the tight feeling in his chest. “That’s always going to be the first thing you learn in every language. It’s mandatory.”

Silence envelopes them once again. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that today marks the start of the rest of their lives. One of them was finally moving on to the next stage in his life. Only one.

“Hannie,” Jisoo calls the nickname he was ever only allowed to say. For Jeonghan, it was Joshuji. “I befriended you back in high school because I liked you too.”

Jeonghan doesn’t turn to meet his eyes. “Past tense?” His voice an octave deeper.

“Past tense.”  
  
  
  
  


_ Jisoo is getting married tomorrow.  
  
  
  
  
_

Jisoo courted Sokmin a few months after knowing each other and, soon, marked the anniversary of their first meeting by going official. He had tears in his eyes knowing Seokmin actually remembered which his boyfriend happily wiped away and ended with a kiss on the lips.

Jeonghan started dating Seungcheol not long after hearing the news. He had met the guy at one of his classes. Jeonghan thought the man had a beautiful smile and an even more beautiful set of eyes that sparkled when he smiled, so why the hell not? 

Jisoo wasn’t surprised when Jeonghan broke to him that he and Seungcheol have decided to move in together only a few months later. 

‘Hannie, don’t you think you’re acting a little too rash?’ was what Jeonghan had hopes his best friend would say. So he was a little crestfallen when his best friend actually rejoiced at the idea of it.

When he asked Jisoo one day if he and Seokmin had any plans of moving together soon, the other had answered, “No. Well, not yet at least. Moving in together is a really big step.” Then elaborating on how it was enough that Seokmin would always invite him to his family home whenever he was going there for the weekend and holidays since his parents always insisted to bring him over after finding out that Jisoo’s family were all in the States.

  
  
  


Jisoo and Seokmin were engaged 4 years later.

With Jeonghan practically falling apart at the news, he and Seungcheol broke up 2 months later.

“Jeonghan, you love him,” Seungcheol told him one night when Jeonghan, once again, refused to eat dinner for the fifth time that week.

“No, Cheollie don’t say that,” he says between sobs. “I love you.”

Seungcheol smiles back at him bitterly, “I know, but he’s the one you’re in love with.”

In their almost 8 years of friendship, this was the first time anyone has ever said it out loud and it feels more real now. It felt like a ton of bricks raining down on him.

His knees buckled under him, making him fall on the cold hardwood floor, finally letting out big fat tears and wretched sobs. He was like a glass of water that’s been brimming for years, only for Seungcheol to topple it over.

“It’s okay love,” Seungcheol says, gathering him in his arms. “I’ll wait for you. I love you too much.”  
  
  
  
  


_ Jisoo is marrying Seokmin tomorrow.  
  
  
  
_

Jeonghan paced back and forth in his hotel room after a few glasses of wine.

“Good night, best man. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jisoo had said as he ushered Jeonghan back to the hallway a few minutes ago.

He doesn’t know what gets over him but he picks up the phone and calls Jisoo. Maybe he can blame the alcohol. The phone rings for what felt like forever. It was long enough for Jeonghan to drop the call, but he doesn’t.

“Sorry, I was in the bathroom.” Jisoo says from his end.

Jeonghan closes his eyes, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. “Joshuji, remember how I told you I liked you?”

He hears the man chuckle. “Of course. It hasn’t even been an hour Jeonghan.”

“Mine’s not past tense.”

He then looks out of the floor-to-ceiling windows of his room, the cityscape blurring from the tears forming in his eyes.

“Hannie…” Jisoo says in his soft ever soothing voice.

He closes his eyes, letting the tears run down his cheeks and his breath shuddering. “Please don’t say sorry.” He tried to choke in a sob, not wanting to let Jisoo know he was crying. “That’s the last thing I want to hear from you.”

“I’m marrying Seokmin tomorrow,” is all Jisoo says in return.

“I know. I just…” Jeonghan buries his face on his palm. “I wish I told you.”

“But we didn’t.” __

_ I didn’t. _

“If I did, would it have been different?” He asks, not wanting to let this chance go. He no longer wanted to live with the ‘what ifs’.

“Hannie, I really love him.”

Jeonghan tries his best to muffle his cries, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. “Yeah,” he sniffles. “I… I wanted to tell you before tomorrow.”

He hears a sigh. “Thanks for telling me,” Jisoo says in almost a whisper. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be okay.” He answers before ending the call.

  
  
  
  
  


Jeonghan wakes up to the sound of his phone ringing. Only then registering the unfamiliar but heavenly duvet enveloping him. He briefly wonders if this was what it felt like to be a cherub.

He pats around for his phone and answering with blindly.

“Hello?” He croaks, his voice cracking a little like it always does when he wakes up.

“Hyung,” It was Seungkwan. “Hansol asked me to ask you if you were awake. Seungcheol hyung wanted to know.”

Jeonghan burrows further under the duvet seeking warmth. “I am now.”

He hears sounds of shuffling on the other end so Seungkwan was probably moving about in his room. “If you are having cold feet just say the magic word and I’ll get you out of here."

Right. He was getting married today. He and Seungcheol are getting married today. Kind, loving, perfect Seungcheol with his perfect smile and perfect dimples and perfect eyes. 

His Seungcheol.

Jeonghan finally sits up, rubbing his face so he can finally open his eyes. “Seungkwannie, I’m not and we don’t have a magic word.” He answers laughing a little at the end and finally sees the time. It was 7 in the morning. The tiny specks of dust floating where the morning sun is pouring in from the window.

He hears the younger scoff. “It's 'please' but okay.” There’s a pause. “Oh, and the hair and makeup team are on their way so you better be ready in like 10?”

So he drags himself off the bed and to the bathroom for the shower of his life.

“Any news from Seokmin hyung?” Seungkwan inquires much later when he’s sprawled on the unmade bed, messing up his already made-up hair in the process, and Jeonghan is sitting in front of the vanity to get ready for his wedding.

Jeonghan answers with a light shake of his head.

  
  
  


Jisoo once told Jeonghan that he’ll understand all that ‘love of my life’ bullshit when he gets there. But he’s getting married in a few hours and he still didn’t know what it feels like to be marrying the love of his life.

  
  


\--

  
  


**From: Joshuji (Received 10:04 AM)**

Hannie! You're getting married today. I can't even put to words how happy I am for you. Congratulations! Promise we'll get there as soon as we get the papers sorted out with Chan's visa. I can’t wait for you to finally meet him.

I can't believe I won't be there on your special day. I'm really sorry. You were there for me 2 and a half years ago and I will treasure that forever. Things might've turned out way different than we thought it would when we were younger, but we still both got our happy ever after in the end. And as your best friend, I can say that Seungcheol is the only man I’ll ever entrust you to. It didn't work the first time but the second time is always a charm isn’t it? I'm glad you made it in the end. 

Love you always, Hannie. See you soon.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a ‘the one that got away’ kind of thing.
> 
> Jisoo and Seokmin flew to California after their wedding. They decided to live there for good. And Chan is their newly adopted kid.
> 
> I’ve been wanting to write a fic inspired by taylor swift’s song of the same title ever since the pandemic began. I hope it’s good.
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated.  
> Thanks for reading ♥


End file.
